The reading featured three Man with a Pan contributors—Sean Wilsey, Thomas Beller, and Mark Kurlansky—as well as the collection’s editor, John Donohue. Donohue went first, with the story behind his epiphany that men could and should cook for their busy wives.

Thomas Beller then took the mic to dish about a series of after-hours grocery shopping experiences at a New Orleans Whole Foods, and reminiscence on his culinary experience at a Hardee’s in Virginia during a promotion for the jalapeno thickburger.

Third up was Sean Wilsey, with the edict that cooking and cleaning should be inseparable tasks, always done in tandem…something that is very hard to do when you have kids.

Wilsey gave the standing-room-only crowd the giggles with his impression of his daughter’s request for another spoonful of honey.

Last but not least, Mark Kurlansky took the stage, tantalizing the crowd with a delicious description of making brownies from scratch, and explaining his gastronomic paradox: a phobia of women who cook and his secret hope that just once his wife will cook for him.

– Emily Parliman, Assistant to the Publisher

Heidi Durrow (in center with black scarf), Caroline Leavitt (to Heidi's right), and other authors at AWP

AWP doesn’t really stand for awesome writers party, but it sort of should. I’m in the midst of my vintage beaded sweater and red cowboy boots tour but I’m reporting from the confines of my Chicago hotel. Held in two huge hotels (there were actually guides along the way to shepherd all the lost souls who were wandering around looking for a cookie crumb trail to get them where they needed to go), this AWP seemed bigger and better than any other I’ve attended. I happily spent an hour roaming the book stalls and chatting up the staff of literary magazines, independent publishers and more.

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Who wouldn’t want to have the charismatic, hilarious Lizzie Skurnick as moderator for your panel? Well, we would for our panel of Algonquin writers and writers who’ve appeared in New Stories from the South, but Lizzie got lost in the maze of the hotel (you had to transfer from one hotel to the next), and showed up about ten minutes late, but not to worry. The wonderful Tayari Jones took control until Lizzie showed up and then Tayari gave a gorgeous reading of her novel, Silver Sparrow. Rahu Mehta read from Quarantine, and Lauren Grodstein from A Friend of the Family, and Kevin Knight read a story from New Stories from the South. I, of course, read from Pictures of You. The loveliest thing was we all declared this reading our official Valentine to Algonquin Books, who saved our lives, shined up our careers to a new glowing luster, and absolutely were gods and goddesses to all of us.

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Of course, part of the fun of AWP is mingling with other writers, and the night I arrived, I was thrilled to meet up with Eleanor Brown (I was her first blurber for the The Weird Sisters and we had become fast friends on FB before we met), the incredible Algonquin author Heidi Durrow (The Girl Who Fell From the Sky), Rebecca Rasmussen (The Bird Sisters), Sarah Pekkanen (Skipping a Beat), Tanya Egan Gilbson (How to Buy a Love of Reading), Barbara Drummond Mead (the president of Reading Group Choices), Therese Fowler (Reunion), and Siobhan Fallon (You Know Where the Men Have Gone). Over dinner, we talked about how to stretch two outfits through a week of tour and why you have to resign yourself to being sort of dirty no matter what you do, why such a group of smart, literate women really loves trashy reality TV shows like The Bachelor (I admitted to Rock of Love), and then we all recited the worst Amazon review we had ever received in our literary lifetimes (yes, we still remember them word for word).

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I had to whisk out again to get to Chicago so I didn’t have a chance to see any of the great presenters (which still makes me yearn), but I can’t wait for the next AWP.

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–Caroline Leavitt, author of Pictures of You

Quail Ridge is the major independent bookstore in Raleigh, NC–hometown of David and Amy Sedaris. It was voted the Best Bookstore of the Year by Publishers Weekly about a decade ago, and rightly so–you can’t enter it without feeling dazzled and buying at least a handful of books. Seriously. Just try.

Nancy Olson, owner of Quail Ridge and one of the most beloved booksellers in the biz, kindly took the time to share with us her favorite books and more.

What books recently rocked my world:
Butterfly’s Child by Angela Davis-Gardner (coming in April)
Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes
New Stories from the South, 2010, edited by Amy Hempel
Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger by Lee Smith
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

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Best damn event we’ve hosted:
For Money: Jimmy Carter (sold 2,000 books, beating Dan Quayle by 900)
Most Meaningful: Kathryn Ferguson with Crossing with the Virgin, true stories by members of the Samaritans, a group offering medical aid to migrants in the Arizona desert
Best Dressed: Robin Preiss Glasser and 200 little girls dressed in sequins and pearls for the book, Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique

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Most entertaining author we’ve hosted:
How can we pick between David Sedaris, Amy Sedaris, Alton Brown, or Alexander McCall Smith?

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Strangest question a customer has ever asked:
“I have a gun; may I have all your money?” (Robbery during an event with Mama Dip)

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What makes our neighborhood and customers awesome:
They bring us lots of  food at Christmas; they volunteer to help out with events and anything else we need (like vacuuming floors).

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I promise you won’t find this at any other store:
Eight-foot display featuring award-winning books; section dedicated to presidents and their families; section featuring books imported from Britain.

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If I weren’t selling books, I’d be:
On a tropical island discussing literature (and other things) with Michael Chabon while Hill Harper (voted best-looking author) massages my back and Alton Brown catches fish for my dinner.

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Books that changed my life:
Some of the books of the 19th & 20th Century that developed my love of reading when I was young; e.g., The Scarlet Pimpernel, Pride & Prejudice, Green Grass of Wyoming; recently: Matterhorn, a novel of the Vietnam War; Susan Richards’ beautiful memoirs, Chosen By a Horse and Saddled; and Richard Holloway’s Looking In the Distance: The Human Search for Meaning.

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Top three authors, living or dead, I’d invite to my dinner party:
Michael Sandel (author of Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do), Bill Bryson, Sam Harris.

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Top three songs on the soundtrack to my life:
Was raised on classical music, but once in awhile turned serious with Buddy Holly and Fats Domino.

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My last meal request:
Pinto beans and crusty corn bread

Danielle Evans‘s debut story collection, Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, received tons of critical acclaim when it was published just a couple months ago–from the New York Times, People, O: The Oprah Magazine, Time, Entertainment Weekly, and many more. Amy Hempel selected one of her stories, “Someone Ought to Tell Her There’s Nowhere to Go,” for our 25th anniversary edition of New Stories from the South, 2010. You’ll definitely want to read this one–Danielle Evans is sure to be a big literary star.

When a haunted Iraq veteran returns home, he tells a small lie with the best of intentions. But he doesn’t stop there, and his lying culminates in an act that could destroy his only meaningful relationship. –Ana Alvarez (Publishing Coordinator)

Note: Today is Ana Alvarez’s last day at Algonquin. We’re going to miss you terribly, Ana!

1. Housing Works Bookstore Café

One of my favorite independent bookstores in NYC where all the books are donated, the entire staff is volunteer, and all the proceeds go to help the homeless living with AIDS. I volunteered there for a good two weeks one fall (and was paid handsomely with a rocking employee discount). Not to mention, their events’ coordinator–Rachel Fershleiser–was an absolute riot to work with on our recent New Stories from the South event.

2. Hyperbole and a Half

I feel like writer/artist Allie Brosh understands how I feel about showers, sandwiches, and turning into an adult. I may have sent this link to every person in my address database, including several times to my eighteen-year-old sister Addie Lee, who, at one point, emailed me and said, “I get it. It’s not that funny. Stop sending it to me.”

3. El Cholo Restaurant

It was nearly two and a half years before my fiancé traveled back to Los Angeles with me. We hadn’t been to my hometown together yet, and we were planning on meeting my best friend Melanie for dinner. During our many trips, I complained endlessly about the lack of good Mexican food and how nothing–absolutely nothing–compared to El Cholo.

When we got there, Melanie ordered the chicken tacos–chicken and cheese only (Melanie only eats black and white foods, however, that is a story for another day). I happily awaited the delivery of my cheese enchiladas and michalada. My fiancé–adventurous gourmand that he is–went the route of the shrimp tostada.

“THAT” he cried out later in the car. “That place was the be-all, end-all of Mexican food? That’s what you’ve been going on about for years?”

“You ordered wrong,” I finally responded. “Let’s go back tomorrow.”

4. This story from The New Ohio Review, and this poem from The Adirondack Review, and this article from The Colorado Review

5. Bonnie Prince Billy & Tortoise’s cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road”

Usually when I get into a song, I really get into it. I play it–and only it–on repeat. I play it so many times that eventually, I get nauseous when the song comes on and I never want to hear it, ever again. (I’m thinking of you, “Clark Gable” by The Postal Service.) However, the one–and only–song I can listen to and still get chills and still want to share with every person I know is Bonnie Prince Billy & Tortoise’s cover of Springsteen’s “Thunder Road.”

Side point number one: I had never actually heard “Thunder Road” (apologies to John Gregory Brown, who I know will send me a scathing email after reading that sentence) until after I heard the cover. The first time I heard the Springsteen version was in a karaoke bar on St. Marks Street with my best friend Abby and a literary agent named Evan who ran around the room, belting out the song pitch perfectly, eventually sliding to his knees at the end of the song, leading the packed room (on a Tuesday night, mind you) to a standing ovation.

Side point number two: The one time I was truly flabbergasted (ok maybe one of two times I was truly flabbergasted) around a celebrity was when Bonnie Prince Billy–the day after he played a gig in Charlottesville–strolled into the Mexican restaurant, La Michoacana, where my fiancé and I were getting tacos. “Isn’t that Bonnie Prince Billy?” my fiancé asked and I promptly dropped my not-El Cholo salsa all across the floor.

Kathy Pories, Amy Hempel, and Wells Tower

The reading was packed, with well over 100 people in attendance!

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Housing Works was generous enough to donate specialty Southern cocktails and treats…

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Workman’s own Emily Parliman and Avery Finch stopped by to check out what Amy and Wells had to say on the short story:

Emily Parliman and Avery Finch

And a special guest, as promised, even made a surprise appearance.

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All in all, a stellar event! A very special thank you goes out to Rachel Fershleiser, Director of Events at Housing Works, for putting on such an amazing event.

What begins as a fantastical story of a small Southern town’s populace living in trees after a devastating flood becomes a serious and sensitive portrayal of a strained marriage told through the eyes of thirteen-year-old Rayanne. Pederson’s gorgeous style twists from jarring to quirky, from sweet to grotesque, all the while drawing you into her world and making you care for all her characters. Enjoy! –Ana (Publishing Coordinator)

Small and Heavy World

By Ashleigh Pederson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ashleigh Pederson recently earned her MFA from University of Pittsburgh. She currently lives in Austin, TX, where she writes, works, swims, and soaks up all the outstanding dive bar honky tonk.

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Tonight, celebrating the 25th anniversary of New Stories from the South!
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Friday, 9/24, 7:00 p.m.
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Amy Hempel, Wells Tower, & series editor Kathy Pories
reading from and discussing
New Stories from the South, 2010: The Year’s Best
at Housing Works Bookstore

.–Megan

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I’ve never been to Raleigh.

Scratch that. I’ve been to the Raleigh airport once. And now that I think about it, the first weekend I moved here I found myself in the Crabtree Valley Mall, taking part in the $30.00 prime rib special at Flemings. But the Raleigh that I’ve read and heard about, its food and its culture, has been experienced mostly via my computer.

Before I came to Algonquin, I worked at another publishing house in New York City. This meant that I used to set up a lot of book events here in North Carolina. Names like The Regulator and McIntyre’s were exactly just that: names on a page. However, now one of those names–Quail Ridge Books and Music in Raleigh–was going to be a place where I experienced my first Algonquin event.

Algonquin is an intimate company; and by intimate, I mean that we truly are a team. When one author reads, it doesn’t matter if you’re working on the book or not: You not only show up to the reading, you want to show up to the reading. Even on a Monday night. Even on a Monday night, the week before Labor Day weekend.

We drove to Quail Ridge in a caravan, our line of cars snaking down 40 West into the Raleigh traffic. The event on tap was for NEW STORIES FROM THE SOUTH: 2010. Kathy Pories, the series editor, would lead the discussion and contributors Wells Tower and Aaron Gwyn would read from their collective stories “Retreat” and “Drive.” Wells was a Chapel Hill native. Aaron and his girlfriend would be making the two-hour trek from Charlotte.

People were already milling about by the time we got to Quail Ridge. I found Wells over by the magazines, perusing an issue of Garden and Gun. Aaron swept me into a bear hug when I approached him by the podium. These were friendly writers. These were good writers.

“It’s important,” owner Nancy Olson began, “to remember the independent bookstores. It makes a difference purchasing from them versus the chains. Coming here and supporting us really does matter. We appreciate your being here.” Nancy’s enthusiasm bubbled over and swirled around the packed audience. Kathy stood up and pointed out Ana Alvarez, another Algonquin team member, who previously sifted through hundreds upon hundreds of literary journals and magazines–locating Southern stories in general that Amy Hempel, the guest editor, would later choose for the final collection.

We listened as Wells and Aaron read about sex in cars and feuding brothers, death wishes and purchased mountains. People in the audience raised questions about revising short stories and what made Southern literature particularly Southern. Someone in the front row pointed out Wells’s recent accolades in a certain publication and he blushed. “That’s my dad,” he interrupted. “And I think that’s about enough for now.”

The short story was dissected and soon, it became a group discussion with the audience. The energy level  rose as people fought for the short story, for the novel, for physical books, and for independent bookstores. Who could even propose the notion that literature was dead?

The books signed, the chairs put away, we–the authors, the editors, the publicists, and the entourage–trudged over in the darkness to a nearby restaurant where Travis, our waiter, feted us with warm baked bread and mile-high piled burgers. Sated, our plates empty, we slipped back separately into our cars and disappeared into the night.

–Megan Fishmann, Publicist
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Quail Ridge Books & Music owner Nancy Olson introduces the reading

Aaron Gwyn reads from "Drive," his story in New Stories from the South, 2010

Wells Tower reads from his story "Retreat"

A full house!

Kathy Pories leads a discussion on Southern fiction

Wells, Aaron, and Kathy sign copies of New Stories from the South, 2010

The discussion continues long after the readings have finished

Today is our final post for this week’s series celebrating NEW STORIES FROM THE SOUTH. If you’re in the Raleigh, North Carolina area, or if you’re even somewhat nearby, please head over to Quail Ridge Books to hear series editor Kathy Pories and contributors Wells Tower and Aaron Gwyn read from/discuss the book on MONDAY, AUGUST 30th, at 7:30 pm. The event is free and sure to be absolutely fantastic. We will be there–will you???

Today’s interview is with founding series editor Shannon Ravenel, who shares with us, among other things, her favorite stories from the first twenty years of NEW STORIES FROM THE SOUTH. Have any favorite Southern stories of your own?

1. Where do you do your best editing? At home? At work? At a coffee shop?

Since I’m now more or less retired and working as “editor at large,” I do all my editing at home, which I like.

2. What does a Southern story mean to you?

I wrote some Forewords to the early volumes of New Stories from the South trying to define “Southern Stories.” For me, it boils down to the setting—if the story is set in the U.S. South, it’s “Southern.”

3. You were the series editor for New Stories from the South for twenty years. Were there any major surprises along the way? Any particular stories that stand out as your favorites?

I started the series in 1986 and edited it (without guest editors) until 2005—so my stint was 20 years. For the first five of those, I was also Series Editor of Best American Short Stories for Houghton.

Stand out stories:  Lewis Nordan’s “Sugar, the Eunuchs and Big G.B.” (1987), Larry Brown’s “Facing the Music” (1988), Robert Olen Butler’s “Relic” (1991), Heather Sellers’s “Fla. Boys” (1999), William Gay’s “The Paper Hanger” (2001)

4. What’s the last non-work-related book you read that stopped you in your tracks?

Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout

5. What’s the last book you loaned out that you regret giving away?

In Richard’s World, by William Barnwell (HMCo. 1968)

6. On what basis did you choose stories to include in the anthology?

As for technical aspects, only two: That the story is set mainly in the American South, and that it was published first serially in the year preceding our annual volume. As for the rest of my criteria: Would it be too evasive to say simply that the stories I selected were the ones I wanted to read again, for my own enjoyment?

7. What does the South mean to you?

Home

8. What is your favorite place in the South?

Camden, South Carolina

9. More importantly, please describe your favorite meal in the South.

Hoppin’ John and Ham on New Year’s Day

10. In her introduction as guest editor to New Stories from the South: 2010, Amy Hempel writes, “Much of what I read from the contemporary South has a soundtrack.” As a North Carolinian resident, what is your current Southern soundtrack?

I’m one of those very rare Southerners who is, as Lee Smith once put it, musically impaired. I listen to whatever my husband listens to, which is mostly bluegrass. But I could live without it.

*Bonus question: You are stranded on a desert island with any celebrity, living only. Who would you choose?

Barack Obama

Interview by
Megan Fishmann,
Publicist